Donna Brothers nearly walked away after day one as an NBC reporter. But the iconic former jockey ultimately opted to stay back, and twenty-six years later, she is finally saying goodbye to her horse racing career that spanned 39 years as a jockey and an analyst, as a legend and the voice of multiple Kentucky Derbies and Preakness Stakes.
Brothers had the chance to issue the traditional “Riders up” call ahead of the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes. It’s the first time she’s ever done it in her career, and the 60-year-old did it on her last race ever.
“For the one hundred and fifty-first Preakness Stakes, and my last Preakness with NBC, riders up!” Brothers said on NBC.
Her broadcasting career, which began in 2000 when NBC spotted her at Churchill Downs, ends at the 151st Preakness. Back then, NBC was set to take over ABC’s broadcasting coverage for the Triple Crown Races and was at Churchill Downs. There, they spotted a former jockey-turned-racing analyst at the racetrack and offered her a job.
Brothers covered hundreds of races and has become rather well known for interviewing jockeys immediately after the race. That’s because, unlike other reporters, Brothers follows the racers on horseback to ensure she’s first in line to interview them, and it became a trademark of hers.
After all, the now 60-year-old is a former jockey and was a world-class one at that during her heyday with over 1,130 race wins. Her family lineage (her mother, sister, and brother were jockeys) made her racing career even more special. Despite retiring more than a quarter of a century ago, Brothers still ranks fourth among North American female jockeys for career earnings.
Donna Brothers calls Riders Up at the Preakness Stakes for her final go-around!
: 151st Preakness Stakes, 4pm ET on NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/E2zFYdUfDa
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 16, 2026
Yet, Brothers doesn’t want the focus on her. Instead, the 60-year-old insisted that her goal will be to focus on the race and the winning jockey/horse team.
Before her final Kentucky Derby, NBC surprised her with a montage of the last 25 years of coverage at NBC, including clips with jockey Victor Espinoza after he won the Kentucky Derby and later the Triple Crown aboard American Pharaoh in 2015. “Very rarely do you get to work with people who define a role in sports television,” NBC’s Mike Tirico, the primary host for NBC’s Triple Crown coverage, said about Brothers.
“Whoever wins the Preakness Stakes, I will make sure this is their moment, that they feel seen, and they feel heard, and they have the chance to express whatever it is they’re feeling at that time,” Brothers said as per Paulickreport.com. “It will not be about me, or I have failed to do my job.”
After the race, however, it’s a completely different story. As Donna Brothers revealed, she broke down once she got down from her horse after her last Kentucky Derby. And she believes that it, “could happen after the Preakness. But not while I’m on air.”
Brothers revealed she “earned the right to retire” after a legendary career. As a pioneer, she will be an inspiration to multiple female jockeys and analysts looking to make their mark in the field.
Donna Brothers opens up on her plans post-retirement
Most jockeys tend to leave the sport or become part-time analysts after a long career, but for Donna Brothers, the sport means more. After all, she was and continues to be an iconic female jockey for her time before turning into an equally world-class reporter.
She married trainer Frank Brothers, who encouraged her to try broadcasting for NBC. She nearly quit after day one, but her husband coaxed her back into it, and the rest is history. Now, Brothers is already planning for the future.
Nothing too extravagant. But she is looking forward to not having to spend half her time hunched over a computer, analysing races.
“There’s no perfect time,” Brothers revealed. “But I’m looking forward to not sitting in front of the computer for five to six hours a day. I’m looking forward to spending more time outside and more time with my husband and family. I feel like for the last 26 years – or longer – I’ve rarely had time for that.”
Yet at the same time, Brothers is rather upset with herself. Because for the past forty-odd years, horse racing hasn’t just been her job, it’s been her only focus. It’s one of her biggest regrets that she missed out on so many moments because she was so intensely focused on her career.
“I sat there at the movie thinking, ‘Why didn’t I ever go see Michael Jackson in concert?’ And then I realized it was because he was at the peak of his career when I was a jockey,” Brothers explained. “I was so myopic in my career that Michael Jackson’s incredible career was just like something in my peripheral vision. I hardly noticed it.”
It’s why Donna Brothers won’t be back on a horse racing track anytime soon. She’s still in love with the sport and will continue watching it, albeit from the comfort of her own home. In fact, she may even head down to the Saratoga race track to watch a few races because “we have a home up there”.
Yet, when it comes to the major, heavily televised races, Brothers plans to give those a miss for now. “But I probably won’t be there on the big days anytime soon, maybe, later.” She has seen plenty from the edge of the race-track after all.
